My husband and I are intending to buy a 2 bedroom apartment in Redhill with a mortgage. We wish to retain our Redhill solicitor, but the mortgage company says she’s not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the bank panel firms or keep our Redhill and pay for one of their panel firms to act for them. We regard this is unjust; is there anything we can do?

Unfortunately,no. Your mortgage offer is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the lender’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. A further alternative is for your Redhill conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

Why is leasehold purchase conveyancing in Redhill costs more?

In short, leasehold conveyancing in Redhill and elsewhere usually involve additional due diligence compared to freehold conveyancing. This includes reviewing the lease, liaising with the landlord about serving applicable notices, securing up-to-date service charge and management information, procuring the freeholder’s consents and reviewing management accounts. The obligations on both the landlord and the tenant in the lease need to be studied by the buyer’s conveyancing team and read from beginning to end – regardless of the fact the lease has passed through many different property solicitors hands since it was first entered into.

Please explain the implications if my solicitor is expelled from the Solicitor panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in Redhill?

First, this is very unlikely to happen. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have to instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by a regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit for a fee.

I'm buying my first flat in Redhill with a loan from . The developers would not budge the amount so I negotiated £7000 of additionals instead. The property agent told me not reveal to my conveyancer about the extras as it will impact my mortgage with . Is this normal?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

Helen (my wife) and I may need to rent out our Redhill ground floor flat temporarily due to a career opportunity. We instructed a Redhill conveyancing firm in 2004 but they have since shut and we did not think at the time get any guidance as to whether the lease prohibits the subletting of the flat. How do we find out?

Notwithstanding that your previous Redhill conveyancing solicitor is no longer around you can review your lease to see if it allows you to sublet the apartment. The accepted inference is that if the lease is silent, subletting is permitted. Quite often there is a prerequisite that you need to obtain consent from your landlord or some other party in advance of subletting. The net result is you not allowed to sublet without prior permission. Such consent should not be unreasonably turned down. If your lease prohibits you from subletting the property you will need to ask your landlord for their consent.

I am the registered owner of a basement flat in Redhill, conveyancing was carried out in 1995. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Similar properties in Redhill with a long lease are worth £165,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 levied per year. The lease ceases on 21st October 50

With 50 years unexpired the likely cost is going to range between £36,100 and £41,800 plus costs.

The figure above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more detailed due diligence. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be taken into account and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward placing reliance on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.